So why create a book about Tynemouth Station? Why write about the building, the wildlife inhabitants and the weekend market?
I’ve spent the past three years helping Ylana First run the legendary Tynemouth Station Book Fairs. They take place on the west concourse of the station four times a year in April, June, August and October. First one of the year is in just over two week’s time on April 26th.
Through Ylana I’ve discovered the history of the station and the long battle by its ardent admirers to save it from demolition. It’s a beautful building. Look…
As well as the bookfairs there is the regular Tynemouth Station market every Saturday and Sunday. I started off as a browser, then a stallholder and now I still go and browse even if I don’t have a stall.
I enjoy setting up and running a stall. It involves weekday prep, early starts on the Saturday and Sunday, filling the car, queuing up to park, unloading and setting up stall and then the day begins! It also involves lots of tea, food and chats with punters and stallholders.
I’ve made friends at Tynemouth Station market. I’ve also made artistic links. It’s where I met and started talking to Anne Proctor. If it wasn’t for meeting we wouldn’t have created our books including latest one Souvenir of Tynemouth.
Through this connection I got talking to Gail Curry of Happy Planet Creative Arts CIC and we now run our Poetry with Friends sessions in North Shields and Whitley Bay.
I also met Jules Fleur, floral artist extraordinaire at the market and she creates floral sculptures for Free as a Bard evenings at Whitley Bay’s Jam Jar Cinema. Then there’s Christine the Jam lady, Dawn Routledge fantastic glass artist, Val with her scarves and cards (much-missed hope she comes back to market), the local card lady, the placemat chap, Abbie with her beautiful china, all the bookdealers, especially Pete Swan, fount of artistic and musical knowledge and the summer choc ice monitor.
Then there’s bread man from Durham, John with his hot tea, the Ouseburn Coffee gang, the wood turners….
Why create Souvenir of Tynemouth? I think I’ve answered the question.
